Arrow nock including metal reinforcement member

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to an arrow nock having a metal insert therein. The arrow nock is provided for installation at the fletched end of an arrow shaft, and is configured to receive a bowstring of a hunting bow therein. The arrow nock imparts the force of the bowstring into the arrow shaft to propel the arrow to the target. Repeated use can cause failure of the nock. The solution is to provide the nock with a reinforcement to prevent the failure or breakage of the arrow nock and/or shaft. A reinforcing rod, preferably of metal, extends the length of the nock and is molded into the arrow nock. Optionally, the rod may extend beyond the nock body and into the arrow shaft providing additional support.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/110,260, filed 31 Oct. 2008. The entire disclosure of the referenced provisional application is incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field of the Invention

The invention relates to archery equipment in general, and bow hunting and target shooting of arrows in particular. The arrows include a nock for accommodating the bowstring until the arrow is propelled or otherwise removed from the bow. More particularly, the present invention relates to an improved nock including a metal reinforcement member embedded in a plastic nock body.

2. Background of the Invention

Many different types of arrows and arrow shafts are known for use in hunting and sport archery. A newly popular type of arrow shaft is the fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) arrow. FRP describes fiberglass composites and carbon fiber composites. Other arrow shafts are also constructed of aluminum and other light metals, wood and plastic.

In general, arrows include three portions, a shaft, a head and a tail portion including fletching and supporting a nock. The arrow shaft comprises a shaft having two ends, a fetching end and an arrowhead end, each end accommodating an attachment to complete the arrow. At the first end, an arrowhead of a design chosen by the shooter may be attached to the shaft. At the fetching end or second end, an arrow nock for supporting and propelling the arrow is attached.

It is advantageous to allow the sportsman to customize the arrow for the particular situation, such as hunting or target practice. If hunting, the customization could depend upon the type of game and the weather conditions, particularly wind conditions. Therefore, various types and sizes of arrowheads, arrow shafts and arrow nocks have been devised to accommodate the various styles and conditions individuals may encounter while hunting or taking target practice.

An arrow nock forms the rearward end of an arrow and generally has a pair of arms that form a substantially U-shaped notch for receiving the bowstring. The arrow nock is often made as a separate component that is affixed to the rearward end of the arrow shaft. In general, there are two types of arrow nocks, divergent and convergent. Arrow nocks having parallel arms or arms that diverge can allow the arrow to slip off of the bowstring as the bow is drawn. Arrow nocks can also be arranged with arms that converge to retain the arrow on the bowstring but can create frictional drag on the arrow during release from the bowstring. The type of arrow nock employed depends on the particular desires of the individual sportsman.

With the use of compound bows by today's sportsmen, large forces are placed on the arrow shaft and the attachments for the arrow, such as the nock, during the shooting, contact and removal of the arrow. Often, these forces result in the failure of the arrow shaft or the attachments, such as the arrowhead or the nock. In addition, the arrow shaft may flex during the aiming and shooting of the arrow to place additional stress at the point of the nock/shaft connection which could cause fatigue failure after repeated use.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides an improved nock to prevent these stresses from causing failure or fracture of the arrow or the arrow nock. The present invention provides an arrow nock that reduces nock flexure relative to the arrow shaft and thus prevents fatigue failure and provides better accuracy of the arrow. The nock includes a reinforcing member that extends the length of the nock. The nock is held by friction on the fletched end of the arrow shaft. The reinforcing rod or member provides greater strength at the junction of the arrow shaft and the nock where the nock receives the greatest amount of stress and force from the oscillations and flexing caused by the bowstring release. Stress is also placed on the nock when the arrow is removed from the target and when the arrow strikes the target. Often, with the use of compound bows, the forces created by the bowstring will propel the arrow through the target. The combination of these stresses can cause fatigue failure of the arrow, arrow shaft and nock.

In the arrow nock according to a first embodiment of the present invention, parallel arms form the bowstring opening and the reinforcing member is force fit into the nock.

In the arrow nock according to a second embodiment of the invention, converging arms form the bowstring opening and the reinforcing member is located within the nock body during the molding process.

In the arrow nock according to a third embodiment of the invention, diverging arms form the bowstring opening and the reinforcing member is molded into the nock body.

It is an object of the invention to provide a plastic arrow nock having a reinforcing member therein formed by plastic injection molding techniques.

It is an object of the invention to provide an arrow nock that reduces flexure of the nock relative to the shaft and prevents fatigue failure.

It is an object of the invention to provide a stiff nock that imparts more direct bowstring force to the arrow shaft.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent in the detailed description. For a more detailed presentation of the invention, the following section offers a detailed description accompanied by drawings. Throughout the following detailed description and drawings, like numbers refer to like parts.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Details of this invention are described in connection with the accompanying drawings that bear similar reference numerals in which:

FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 1B is a perspective view in the opposite direction of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1A;

FIG. 2 is a cutaway view of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1A;

FIG. 3 is a top view of a second embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a top view of a third embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5A is a first end view of the first embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 1A; and

FIG. 5B is a second end view of the first embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 1A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

Describing the specific embodiments herein chosen for illustrating the invention, certain terminology is used which will be recognized as being employed for convenience and having no limiting significance. For example, the terms “forward”, and “rearward” refer to the illustrated embodiment in its normal position of use, affixed to an arrow and positioned onto a substantially vertical section of a bowstring. The terms “outward” and “inward” refer to lateral directions with reference to the axis of the device. Further, all of the above-defined terminology includes derivatives of the word specifically mentioned and words of similar import.

The present invention relates to an arrow system that may be used for archery, and particularly for bow hunting. It is advantageous to use an arrow shaft with the smallest possible diameter. A smaller diameter shaft has a smaller surface area for a cross wind or other external force to act upon. However, the smaller the diameter arrow shaft, the more flex and stress that is placed on the points of connection of the arrow head and arrow nock. Generally, archers prefer a smooth outer surface of the shaft without any projections, other than the fletching. This preference correlates with the general understanding that an arrow will have better aerodynamic efficiency with fewer structural projections on the outside of the arrow shaft.

The carbon-composite type arrows are generally lighter than aluminum shafts, but have the same spine. “Spine” is an industry-standard measurement describing the arrow shaft stiffness. However, lighter arrow shafts also were not as stiff or had less spine. Lighter arrow shafts have the advantage of higher velocities when launched from the same bow. Lighter arrow shafts also tend to flex or oscillate at release. This oscillation and/or flexing effects accuracy. Higher velocities result in a flatter arrow trajectory. The advantage of a flatter trajectory is that an error with respect to the range to a target has less effect on the point of impact. The arrow shaft being stiffer at the rear or nock end tends to produce better accuracy. Therefore, the attachments for the arrow shafts need to retain the advantages these lighter, thinner arrow shafts provide the sportsman. These attachments comprise the arrow head and the nock. The arrow nock is the object of the present application.

An arrow nock is provided at the rear of the arrow shaft rearward of the fletching and includes a notch or opening to allow the bowstring to engage the arrow to propel the arrow towards the target. As can be seen in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the nock 10 in accordance with the invention is made of three clearly delineated sections. The nock body 10 comprises the reinforcing member 20, the attachment portion 30, and the nock portion 40. In general, the nock 10 resembles three elongated, solid cylinders of increasing size, the nock portion 40 ending in the pair of arms 41, 42 (FIGS. 1A, 1B, 2, 5A and 5B).

The nock portion 40 comprises a pair of arms 41, 42 spaced apart to form the bowstring opening or notch 43. The pair of arms can be parallel to each other or diverge or converge as will be described later with respect to different embodiments of the nock 10.

The nock portion 40 is larger in diameter than the attachment portion forming a stop 31 or shoulder that prevents the nock 10 from being inserted into the arrow shaft 1 too far. In addition, the free ends of the arms 44 may taper in thickness, longitudinally and transversely to aid in guiding the bowstring into the notch 43. The longitudinal taper 45 can best be seen in FIG. 2.

Referring to FIG. 2, the arrow shaft 1 is shown in relation to the nock 10 and the attachment portion 30. The nock 10 is inserted into the shaft 1 up to the stop or shoulder 31 formed by the nock portion 40. The stop 31 is cylindrical to match the shape of the arrow shaft 1 in size and shape. As can best be seen in FIG. 2, the reinforcing member 20 is long enough to extend from the arms 41, 42 of the nock portion 40 through the attachment portion 30 and beyond the portion 30. The attachment portion 30 releasably engages the arrow shaft 1 to allow for the changing of the nock 10, if so desired. The nock 10 is preferably retained in the shaft 1 by friction or an interference fit within the shaft 1 allowing the shaft 1 to be free of projections as discussed earlier. Alternatively, adhesives could be used to ensure the nock 10 is secured to the shaft 1. Depending on the type of shaft 1 (carbon, aluminum, wood), different procedures for preparing the shaft for adhesives would be required. The length of the attachment portion 30 allows the nock 10 to be frictionally retained within the shaft 1. The attachment portion 30 could include serrations or roughness (not shown) on the surface to increase the frictional engagement of the attachment portion 30.

The reinforcing member 20 prevents the flexing of the nock 10 relative to the shaft 1 to prevent flexing, which could cause fatigue failure and allows better transfer of the bowstring energy to the arrow. The failure could occur at the nock 10 between portions 31 and 21 or in the arrow shaft 1 adjacent the end at the juncture with the nock 10.

The reinforcing member 20 is preferably a unitary metallic rod injection molded into the nock 10. The reinforcing member 20 extends beyond the end of the attachment portion 30 and acts as a guide for inserting the nock 10 onto the arrow shaft 1. The smaller diameter of the member 20 guides the nock 10 to be easily inserted into the shaft 1. The reinforcing member 20 could comprise other equally stiff materials that could be formed into a cylinder, such as carbon-fiber or ceramics.

The attachment portion 30 and nock body 40 are substantially the same length. These members are injection molded plastic that encloses the reinforcement member 20 Alternatively, the portion 30 and body 40 could be formed with a hole therein that would accommodate the reinforcing member 20. Adhesive could be used to further attach the member 20 to the portion 30 and body 40.

As can be seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, second and third embodiments of the invention are provided with variations of the pair of arms 41, 42 of the first embodiment being illustrated. Referring to FIG. 3, the converging arms 41′, 42′ are provided to retain the bowstring 2 in the notch. The gap 45 is slightly smaller than the diameter of the bowstring 2. Thus, the arms 41′, 42′ flex slightly to allow the bowstring to pass through the gap 45. Referring to FIG. 4, the third embodiment is similar to the first embodiment that has the arms parallel. The arms 41″, 42″ diverge and taper to guide the bowstring into the notch as shown. Other shapes of the arms 41, 42 could be provided.

Although a selected illustrative embodiment of the present invention has been described with specificity herein, the foregoing description is intended to be an illustration, and not a restriction in the scope of the invention. Those skilled in the art will realize that many modifications of the preferred embodiment could be made which would be operable. 

1. A nock for an arrow that is configured to be propelled by a bowstring, the nock comprising: a body having a nock portion and an attachment portion; the nock portion having a pair of opposed arms forming a bowstring opening at the first end and a closed second end, the arms spaced at the first open end to allow the bowstring to pass between the arms; the attachment portion having a circular cross-section sized to enter the arrow shaft fletched end; and a reinforcing member connecting the nock portion and the attachment portion and having a length extending from the attachment portion into the arrow shaft.
 2. The nock of claim 1, wherein the attachment portion interference fits within the arrow shaft, the nock body retained on the shaft by friction.
 3. The nock of claim 1, wherein the attachment portion, nock portion and reinforcing member are integrally formed.
 4. The nock of claim 1, wherein the nock body is formed by injection molding.
 5. The nock of claim 1, wherein the pair of arms diverge at the open end.
 6. The nock of claim 1, wherein the pair of arms converge at the open end.
 7. The nock of claim 1, wherein the attachment portion and the nock portion are substantially the same length.
 8. The nock of claim 1, wherein the reinforcing member is a rod made of metal.
 9. The nock of claim 1, wherein the reinforcing member comprises a rod that extends from the closed second end to beyond the attachment portion.
 10. The nock of claim 1, wherein the reinforcing member is adhesively retained in the nock.
 11. A nock for an arrow, the arrow comprised of a shaft having a first end for receiving a broadhead and a second end for receiving the nock, the shaft having fletching at the rear of the shaft, the arrow for use with a bow having a bowstring, the nock for disengageably engaging the rear fletched end and the bowstring, wherein the nock comprises: a body having an end including a portion that engages the tail of the arrow shaft such that the body is retained on the shaft; the body having a pair of arms spaced apart to form a bowstring notch at another end, the body further having a stop opposite the notch to prevent the arms from being inserted into the arrow shaft; and a reinforcing member extending from the pair of arms to beyond the body engaging the tail of the arrow.
 12. The nock of claim 11, wherein the pair of arms diverge at the open end.
 13. The nock of claim 11, wherein the pair of arms converge at the open end.
 14. The nock of claim 11, wherein the reinforcing member is metal.
 15. The nock of claim 11, wherein the nock is an integral member.
 16. The nock of claim 11, wherein the end portion and the body are substantially the same length.
 17. The nock of claim 11, wherein the reinforcing member is a unitary member approximately the length of the nock body and engaging portion and embedded within the nock body and engaging portion from approximately the closed end of the arms to beyond the end of the engaging portion.
 18. The nock of claim 13, wherein nock is configured such that during use, the pair of arms flex outwardly to allow the bowstring to engage the nock 